I arrived in Shiprock, New Mexico, for the first time 

At six in the morning

Just as the sun peaked over the rock formations.

Pulling through clouds of dust,

I landed in a corn field.

Corn,
as I would learn over the next few days, 

Is a deeply emotional, spiritual and meaningful

Part of Navajo culture.

As I walked with Zach

Through the fields,
He told me a story about how the stars

Are a picture of those we have lost

And how in the morning dew,

We can see the reflection

On the corn 

Of the faces of those who went before us.

The two of us rolled into town,

Into the only grocery store 

For miles and miles

On the Navajo reservation.

Zach showed me how there are few traditional foods

And fewer choices in what you can actually purchase 

That might really benefit the body.

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We spent the day restoring a field.

As you can tell, this dirt is loamy.

I had on a pair of sturdy doc Martens

But I was slipping, sliding and sinking.

Zach said that it was because the desert wind has stripped

The top layers of the soil. 

The project of the day was to plant cover crop

In this case, alfalfa

To hold the soil, and to provide cover to trap water, moisture

And healthy compost.

Restoring the plot’s soil would normally be nearly 30k in manure

Versus a few days, some seed

And irrigation from the nearby river.

Many plots on the Navajo reservation

Initially meant to be a thriving center of agriculture

(A traditional Navajo skill)
are in a similar condition.

Biidi Baby Foods

Is training up a new generation of young farmers

To solve food supply issues,

Restore traditional foods

And to reclaim heritage.

If you enjoyed this story, you should follow them on Instagram.

They are slowly changing the world.

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